This application claims the priority of commonly owned German patent application Serial No. 199 20 760.7 filed May 5, 1999. The disclosure of the above-referenced German patent application, as well as that of each U.S. and foreign patent and patent application mentioned in the specification of the present application, is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for manipulating rod-shaped articles, especially rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry. Typical examples of such rod-shaped products are filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and other filter-tipped smokers"" products.
It is customary to mass-produce filter cigarettes in machines or production lines of the type disclosed, for example, in commony owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,008 granted Aug. 4, 1992 to Erwin Oesterling et al. for xe2x80x9cMETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING FILTER CIGARETTESxe2x80x9d. Thus, filter mouthpieces of double unit length are placed between pairs of plain cigarettes of unit length and are secured thereto by so-called uniting bands (one side of each uniting band is coated with a film of a suitable adhesive) each of which is rolled around the entire mouthpiece as well as around the adjacent inner end portions of the respective plain cigarettes. The thus obtained filter cigarettes of double unit length are severed midway across their convoluted uniting bands to thus yield pairs of coaxial filter cigarettes of unit length. The filter mouthpieces of each pair of filter cigarettes of unit length are located next to each other; therefore, one filter cigarette of each pair must be turned around (inverted) end-for-end so that the filter mouthpieces of inverted and non-inverted cigarettes face in the same direction, and the inverted cigarettes are normally placed between the adjacent non-inverted cigarettes to form therewith a single layer or mass flow ready to be fed into a packing machine wherein arrays of, for example, four, five, ten or twenty filter cigarettes are confined in box-shaped containers or packets, e.g., in so-called soft packets or packs or in so-called hinged lid packets or packs.
The apparatus of Oesterling et al. can employ an inverting or turn-around device of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,546 granted Jun. 8, 1971 to Gerhard Koop for xe2x80x9cAPPARATUS FOR INVERTING CIGARETTES OR THE LIKExe2x80x9d. The device of Koop employs a set of four horizontal drum-shaped conveyors and a so-called rotor which is rotatable about a vertical axis and operates between two spaced-apart drum-shaped conveyors to invert successive filter cigarettes of one of two rows of such filter cigarettes through an angle of 180xc2x0 and to simultaneously move the filter cigarettes of the one row axially so that they can be deposited between successive cigarettes of the (non-inverted) other row. As a rule, the cigarettes are transported in axially parallel flutes at the peripheries of the drum-shaped conveyors and in flutes of discrete holders forming part of the aforementioned rotor.
The turn-around device of Koop constitutes but one of numerous apparatus or units which can be utilized in a filter cigarete making and processing line to invert one of two rows of filter cigarettes of unit length end-for-end preparatory to introduction of filter cigarettes into storage or into a packing machine. For example, German patent No. 11 78 756 discloses an apparatus which employs a rotary drum having pairs of axially parallel peripheral flutes for discrete filter cigarettes of unit length. Initially, the filters of each pair of cigarettes are located next to each other. One flute of each pair is rotatable about an axis which extends radially of the axis of the drum so that the respective filter cigarette of unit length can be turned through an angle of 180xc2x0 and simultaneously caused to partially overlap the adjacent non-inverted filter cigarettes. Therefore, the just described patented turn-around apparatus must further employ a stationary cam or an analogous device which shifts successive inverted filter cigarettes axially to positions of full overlap with the non-inverted filter cigarettes.
A drawback of the just described patented turn-around apparatus is that it is highly complex and therefore expensive and prone to malfunction. Thus, one flute of each pair of flutes must be mounted on a discrete holder which is rotatable relative to the drum. Moreover, each inverted filter cigarette only partially overlies the adjacent non-inverted filter cigarettes so that it must thereafter be shifted axially by resorting to the aforementioned cam or the like. This renders it necessary to employ a large-diameter drum, and the cam is likely to damage (such as deface and/or deform) the freshly inverted filter cigarettes. Moreover, the speed of rotary movement of indexible flutes cannot exceed a certain value in order to avoid the generation of excessive centrifugal forces which tend to expel the filter cigarettes from their indexible flutes and necessitate the provision of means which attract the filter cigarettes or otherwise retain the filter cigarettes in their respective indexible flutes with a pronounced force which, too, can affect the quality of inverted and axially shifted filter cigarettes.
In accordance with another prior proposal (disclosed in U.K. patent No. 15 38 314), filter cigarettes of unit length are assembled into a mass flow, the mass flow is introduced into a receptacle, and the at least partially filled receptacle is thereupon turned so as to invert the confined filter cigarettes through 180xc2x0. The receptacle is thereupon emptied and the thus evacuated (freshly inverted) filter cigarettes of unit length are ready to merge into a mass flow of non-inverted filter cigarettes of unit length. Such proposal also exhibits a number of serious drawbacks. Thus, the introduction of a mass flow of filter cigarettes of unit length into a receptacle, the turning of the receptacle and the evacuation of thus inverted filter cigarettes from the receptacle consume a substantial amount of time so that the receptacle is likely to establish a bottleneck in a production line which turns out filter cigarettes and confines filter cigarettes in packets, e.g., in the aforemetioned soft packets or in the aforementioned hinged lid packets. Moreover, the filter cigarettes are likely to be damaged (such as deformed and/or defaced and/or relieved of tobacco particles) during introduction into, during rotation with and/or during evacuation from the receptacle. Consequently, the utilization of such turn-around devices entails (or can entail) the making of an inordinately large number of rejects which must be segregated from acceptable filter cigarettes prior to introduction into the packing machine.
In accordance with a further prior proposal, the two rows of filter cigarettes which are turned out, for example, in a production line including the apparatus disclosed in the ""008 patent to Oesterling et al. (i.e., wherein the mouthpieces of filter cigarettes of one row are adjacent the mouthpieces of coaxial filter cigarettes of the other row) are moved axially and apart from each other by resorting to a suitable drum-shaped (spreading) conveyor (such as the conveyor 39 shown in FIG. 1 of the ""008 patent). The thus manipulated filter cigarettes are transferred onto a conical inverting drum which causes the filter mouthpieces of all cigarettes to face in the same direction prior to transfer onto a further drum for advancement toward a packing machine or to storage.
The just described proposal exhibits the drawback that the production line must embody a spreading conveyor which contributes to the space requirements of the production line, especially to the floor space requirements (namely the so-called footprint). Furthermore, repeated transfer of filter cigarettes from conveyor to conveyor can affect the quality of the processed commodities, e.g., their appearance and/or the density of their tobacco fillers. Moreover, in spite of its bulk, the production line can employ only a relatively small conical inverting drum with closely adjacent flutes in order to prevent the generation of excessive centrifugal forces, namely centrifugal forces which must be opposed by strong suction generating and/or other devices serving to reliably hold filter cigarettes in their respective flutes.
German patent No. 15 32 089 discloses an inverting apparatus which constitutes a modification of the apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned German patent No. 11 78 756. Thus, one of the two rows of filter cigarettes supplied by a first drum-shaped conveyor is transferred onto a second drum-shaped conveyor whereon each of a series of fluted holders for individual filter cigarettes of the one row is rotatable relative to the second conveyor to thus turn the filter cigarettes of the one row end-for-end, and the inverted cigarettes of the one row are thereupon returned onto the first conveyor. The fluted holders of the second conveyor are not designed and/or mounted to change the axial positions of filter cigarettes in the course of the inverting step.
A drawback of the just described apparatus is that the inverted filter cigarettes which are returned onto the first drum-shaped conveyor must be shifted axially so that the inverted and shifted as well the non-inverted filter cigarettes form a single row wherein the filter mouthpieces of all cigarettes are adjacent each other and all cigarettes are parallel to one another. Alternatively, axial shifting of filter cigarettes forming the one row must take place prior to the inverting step. In either event, the patented apparatus is bulky and is apt to turn out numerous rejects due to repeated transfer and axial shifting of filter cigarettes forming the one row. Moreover, the output of the just described patented apparatus is very low because the first conveyor must be rotated or indexed at a relatively low speed in order to permit for orderly transfer of filter cigarettes of the one row from the first conveyor onto the second conveyor and for orderly transfer of inverted cigarettes from the second conveyor back onto the first conveyor. The angular movements of the first and second conveyors must be synchronized to ensure that each freshly inverted filter cigarette will be transferred from the second conveyor into an empty flute (or into an empty portion of a flute) of the first conveyor. As a rule, the first conveyor completes one full revolution during the interval which elapses between removal of a non-inverted filter cigarette from and the returning of the freshly inverted filter cigarette onto the first conveyor. If the just described turn-around apparatus is to be utilized in a modern high-speed production line employing one or more cigarette making machines which turn out up to and even in excess of 16,000 articles per minute, the second conveyor must be rotated at an enormous speed which entails the generation of undesirably pronounced centrifugal forces. Such forces should not exceed a certain threshold value in order to prevent ejection of filter cigarettes from the flutes of indexible holders forming part of or being carried by the second conveyor.
An object of the invention is to provide an inverting apparatus which can change the orientation of huge quantities of filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles per unit of time in a small area and without affecting or without unduly affecting the appearance and/or other desirable qualities of the inverted rod-shaped articles.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which does not exhibit (or at least reduces or lessens) the drawbacks of the aforedescribed conventional apparatus.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which generates relatively weak (actually minor) centrifugal forces even if it is put to use in a modern high-speed production line which makes plain cigarettes, filter rod sections, filter cigarettes and packets of filter cigarettes.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein the positions of those articles which need not be inverted as well as the positions of articles which must be inverted are invariably controlled and maintained with a high degree of precision and predictability during each stage of processing on their way toward, during advancement through or along, and during advancement beyond the inverting station.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an inverting apparatus which turns out a fraction of the number of rejects that are expected to be turned out by a conventional inverting apparatus.
A further object of the invention is to provide the above outlined apparatus with novel and improved means for inverting and (if necessary) axially shifting high numbers of rod-shaped articles per unit of time.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above outlined character with novel and improved means for the advancement and simultaneous inversion of filter cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped commodities.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can simultaneously invert several rod-shaped articles to exactly the same extent and in a relatively small space without permitting any of the simultaneously inverted articles to interfere with the other articles and/or vice versa.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of inverting successive rod-shaped articles end-for-end, particularly of inverting filter-tipped rod-shaped smokers"" products in a production line which includes, or supplies smokers"" products to, one or more packing machines.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of treating deformable rod-shaped articles gently on their way toward, through and beyond an inverting or turn-around station, particularly in a production line for the making of packets or boxed arrays of packets of filter cigarettes or other filter-tipped rod-shaped smokers"" products.
Another object of the invention is to provide a production line which embodies one or more inverting apparatus of the above outlined character, particularly a production line for the making and processing of filter-tipped rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an inverting apparatus which can be readily incorporated into existing production lines as a superior substitute for heretofore known and utilized inverting apparatus including the aforedescribed conventional inverting apparatus.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an inverting apparatus the floor space requirements of which are well below those of heretofore known inverting apparatus.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved combination of conveyors for use in the above outlined apparatus or in a production line embodying the above outlined apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved combination of a drum-shaped conveyor and one or more indexible turn-around devices for plural rod-shaped articles which can be utilized with advantage in an apparatus of the above outlined character, especially in an apparatus which is utilized to invert, end-for-end, successive filter cigarettes of a series of parallel filter cigarettes.
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a method of manipulating (and more specifically turning end-for-end) elongated rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry, especially filter cigarettes or other filter-tipped smokers"" products. The improved method comprises the steps of advancing first and second rows of parallel rod-shaped articles sideways along parallel neighboring first and second paths, conveying the articles of the first row from the first path into and transporting the thus conveyed articles along a third path, simultaneously inverting successive groups of at least two articles each end-for-end in the third path, shifting the articles of the first row axially, moving the articles of the first row in a direction at right angles to their longitudinal extensions, and transferring the inverted articles from the third path into one of the first and second paths, particularly into the second path between the (non-inverted) articles of the second row.
At least one of the paths is or can constitute an endless path, especially an endless circular path.
The conveying step can be carried out from a predetermined portion of the first path, and the transferring step can be carried out into a predetermined portion of the second path, preferably a portion adjacent the predetermined portion of the first path.
The inverting step preferably includes simultaneously turning groups of two or more articles end-for-end through angles of 180xc2x0.
The shifting step can include moving the articles axially through distances at least approximating the lengths of the respective articles.
The advancing step can include maintaining neighboring articles of each row at first distances from each other, and the moving step can include moving the articles of the first row through second distances each of which approximates or matches half the first distance.
The inverting step can be carried out simultaneously with the moving step and/or shifting step, i.e., the shifting step can be carried out simultaneously with the moving step.
The inverting step can include turning alternate groups of articles in a clockwise direction and turning the other groups of articles in a counterclockwise direction. Furthermore, the inverting step can include turning each group of articles upon completed turning of the immediately preceding group through an oblique angle. A presently preferred oblique angle is 135xc2x0.
If the third path is an endless circular path, the inverting step can be carried out during advancement of groups of articles along approximately or exactly one-half of such circular path.
The first path can be disposed between the second and third paths, the first and second paths can constitute endless circular paths, the third path can constitute an endless circular path, and the diameter of the third path is or can be different from (e.g., larger than) the diameter of at least one of the first and second circular paths.
Another feature of the instant invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for manipulating (particularly for turning end-for-end) elongated rod-shaped articles, such as filter cigarettes. The improved apparatus comprises an inverting conveyor having means for advancing at least one row of successive parallel articles sideways along a predetermined (first) path, and at least one turn-around device having means for simultaneously inverting at least two parallel rod-shaped articles of the at least one row end-for-end. The apparatus further comprises means for supplying articles to the advancing means of the inverting conveyor.
In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment, the inverting conveyor comprises a drum and the advancing means comprises a plurality of elongated peripheral receptacles (hereinafter called flutes for short) which are provided on the drum. The latter comprises a first or main section which is rotatable about a predetermined axis and at least one second section supported by and rotatable with the first section. The at least one second section constitutes the aforementioned turn-around device and is rotatable about a second axis extending at least substantially radially of the predetermined axis. The flutes can include an array of flutes provided on the at least one second section of the drum; such array can comprise a first group and a second group of, for example, four (i.e., at least two) flutes each. The two groups are located at opposite sides of a plane which includes the (second) axis about which the at least one second section rotates. The arrangement is preferably such that the flutes of each group include a first flute disposed at a first distance from the second axis and a second flute disposed at a second distance from the respective first flute. The first distance is half the second distance.
The at least one second section of the drum (inverting conveyor) is rotatable about the second axis from a starting position to a second position to thereby turn the articles in the flutes of the array of flutes on the at least one second section end-for-end. The flutes of such array are or can be at least substantially parallel to the predetermined axis in the starting and/or in the second position of the at least one second section (i.e., of the at least one turn-around device).
A presently preferred embodiment of the improved apparatus further comprises means for rotating the first section about the predetermined axis and means for rotating the at least one second section about the second axis through 180xc2x0 during each revolution of the first section about the predetermined axis.
The drum can comprise a plurality of second sections which are carried by and are rotatable relative to the first section about discrete second axes extending radially of the predetermined axis. Such apparatus preferably further comprises means for rotating the second sections relative to the first section at timely spaced intervals. For example, if the second sections include at least two successive second sections (as seen in the circumferential direction of the drum), the means for rotating the second sections at timely spaced intervals can include means for rotating the successive second sections one after the other. Such means for rotating can include means for turning one of the successive second sections upon completed turning of the other of such successive second sections through an angle of at least approximately 135xc2x0. Furthermore, the just discussed means for rotating can include means for turning the successive second sections in opposite directions
The means for supplying articles to the advancing means of the inverting conveyor can include a second conveyor having means for delivering articles to be inverted to the peripheral flutes of the advancing means and for receiving inverted articles from such flutes. The second conveyor can also include a drum, and the delivering means of the second conveyor can include axially parallel peripheral flutes arranged to advance several rows of parallel articles and to deliver successive articles of the at least one row to the flutes of the at least one second section of the inverting conveyor. Such at least one second section of the inverting conveyor can be arranged to return inverted articles to the drum of the second conveyor upon completion of one full revolution of each article about the predetermined axis of the first section of the inverting convyor.
The arrangement can be such that each flute of the drum of the second conveyor has a length which suffices to receive several (e.g., two) coaxial rod-shaped articles, and such second conveyor can be positioned to deliver articles of at least one of the several rows to the peripheral flutes of the inverting conveyor. For example, only the articles of the at least one row can be delivered to the flutes of the inverting conveyor.
The flutes of the second conveyor can include first flutes arranged to deliver successive articles of the at least one row to the flutes of the inverting conveyor and second flutes alternating with the first flutes and arranged to receive inverted rod-shaped articles from the flutes of the inverting conveyor.
The means for rotating the at least one second section of the inverting conveyor relative to the first section can include at least one crank drive which is arranged to rotate the at least one second section about the second axis (i.e., about an axis extending radially of the predetermined axis).
The inverting conveyor can include a first drive which serves to rotate the first section of such conveyor about the predetermined axis, and a second drive which serves to rotate the at least one second section of the inverting conveyor about the second axis. The first drive can include a shaft which defines the predetermined axis, and the second drive preferably derives motion from the shaft of the first section. Such second drive can include follower means operatively connected with the at least one second section and arranged to orbit about the predetermined axis in response to rotation of the first section about such axis, and means for moving a portion of the follower means in parallelism with the predetermined axis in response to rotation of the first section. The means for moving a portion of the follower means can comprise a stationary cam having a face which is tracked by such portion of the follower means. The latter can include a reciprocable follower member which tracks at least one cam of the moving means, a crankshaft which is coupled with the at least one second section, and a link which connects the follower member with the crankshaft. The at least one second section of the inverting conveyor can include a shaft which defines the (second) axis of the at least one second section, and the aforementioned follower means can further comprise a gear train which serves to transmit torque between the crankshaft and the shaft of the at least one second section. A presently preferred ratio of the gear train is two-to-one.
The second drive can be arranged to turn the at least one second section of the inverting conveyor about its (second) axis through 180xc2x0 in response to each full revolution of the first section of the inverting conveyor about the predetermined axis. The second drive can further comprise means (such as one or more coil springs) for biasing the aforementioned portion of the follower means against (the cam or cams of) the moving means. The follower means can comprise a plurality of pushers which are operatively connected with the shaft of the at least one second section. The pushers can be arranged to act upon angularly spaced-apart portions of a crankshaft forming part of the second drive and drivingly connected to the shaft of the at least one second section of the inverting conveyor; for example, such portions of the crankshaft can constitute crank pins and can be angularly spaced apart by approximately or exactly 120xc2x0.
The inverting conveyor can form part of a cigarette making machine, such as a filter cigarette maker known as MAX-S (distributed by the assignee of the present application).
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved inverting apparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and the modes of assembling and operating the same, together with numerous additional important and advantageous features and attributes thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain presently preferred specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.